tag:benbrownsolo.com,2005:/blogs/finding-get-lostFinding "Get Lost"2024-02-19T12:03:51-06:00Ben Brown falsetag:benbrownsolo.com,2005:Post/73537492024-02-19T12:03:51-06:002024-02-19T12:06:30-06:00Ben Brown - Live at ABGB - 2/29<p>Friends,</p><p>Don't miss my next show, Thursday, Feb. 29th (7pm - 9pm) at the venerable ABGB ("Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co.") in Austin, Texas. It promises to be a real scare. </p><p>-BB</p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/555058/8470ff91043f3d55a57adfc13db62fed4da3dbf9/original/img-5491.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_center border_" />Ben Brown tag:benbrownsolo.com,2005:Post/73537452024-02-19T11:57:30-06:002024-02-19T12:06:30-06:00Ben Brown - Live at Geraldine's feat. Tim Cappello<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/555058/ec685517523018cb9da643f17bae8adf0b86b51b/original/band-w-cappello-12-16-23.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><p>Friends,</p><p>Not able to attend “Ben Brown - Live at Geraldine's feat. Tim Cappello” in person? Now you can watch the entire show on YouTube at the following link:</p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="ZEBSLNROVLc" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZEBSLNROVLc?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div>Ben Brown tag:benbrownsolo.com,2005:Post/72441392023-07-19T08:08:06-05:002023-10-16T10:00:11-05:00Interview in Riveting Riffs Magazine<p>Ben was recently interviewed by friend, Joe Montague, for his international magazine, Riveting Riffs. Read the entire piece at www.rivetingriffs.com, or at the attached link.</p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="http://rivetingriffs.com/Ben%20Brown%20King%20Of%20Air.html">http://rivetingriffs.com/Ben%20Brown%20King%20Of%20Air.html</a></p>Ben Brown tag:benbrownsolo.com,2005:Post/72194672023-06-02T08:26:55-05:002023-07-07T16:49:29-05:00Release Day - King of Air<p dir="ltr"><span style="color:#000000;">It has been said that making albums is like making sausages; you’ll enjoy them more if you don’t see how they’re made. The following people, for whom I am eternally grateful, saw their fair share of sausages being made during the gestation of <i>King of Air</i>:</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:#000000;">Mick & Emily Flowers, Jared Wenkman, Bianca Lugo, Tim Cappello, Matt Hubbard, Nick Joswick, Sally Allen, Kristy Duff, and Jim Ranes. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:#000000;">I believe I experienced every conceivable human emotion while making this album, which can be attested as witnessed by Bianca Lugo, along with Donald and Linda Brown. Thanks to these three for not putting me out to pasture. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:#000000;">Thanks also to the musicians who supported and inspired me during this time, including Alex Moralez, Roger Wuthrich, Dan Ruscito, Jason Jones, Kevin Shoaff, and Sally Bowman. The life I love is making music with my friends. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:#000000;">Special thanks also to Wendy Bonn for believing in me and seeing me as I want to be seen. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:#000000;"><i>King of Air</i> is the culmination of a year of my life, with much of that time spent waiting, waiting, waiting for the next piece to fall into place so that this day could be born. It’s also the first album I’ve ever made without direct contribution from my brother, Jeff Brown, whose presence, nonetheless, can be felt all over the record. Jeff always said that making an album is like going to war; you need to be properly fortified. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:#000000;">The themes explored here include grief & loss, the emptiness of consumerism, the absurdity of war, and the search for meaning and connection in modern life. To put it succinctly, the record is dark, but its creation was a light to me, which I hope it will be for you. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:#000000;">I recently read Bob Dylan’s book, <i>The Philosophy of Modern Song</i>, in which he writes about how it’s perhaps less important to know what an artist was thinking/doing when a work was composed. Dylan claims it is what a song means to you, the listener, that really matters. I’ll leave any deciphering in <i>King of Air</i> for you, but I’ll share that the thematic key to this record is contained in the song “Don’t Be Afraid.” </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:#000000;">Don’t be afraid to walk through the darkness; don’t be afraid to seek your own answers in a world where being an individual is so rarely recognized; don’t be afraid to make your own sausages. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:#000000;">Res ipsa loquitur,</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:#000000;">Ben Brown</span><br><span style="color:#000000;">June 2nd, 2023</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:#000000;">*Purchase <i>King of Air</i> </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://benbrown2.bandcamp.com/album/king-of-air" data-link-type="url"><span style="color:#000000;">here</span></a><a data-link-type="url"><span style="color:#000000;">.</span></a></p><p dir="ltr"><a class="no-pjax" href="https://benbrown2.bandcamp.com/album/king-of-air" data-link-type="url"><span style="color:#000000;">https://benbrown2.bandcamp.com/album/king-of-air</span></a></p>Ben Brown tag:benbrownsolo.com,2005:Post/72189192023-06-01T10:08:53-05:002023-06-01T10:08:54-05:00New Album - King of Air - Friday, June 2nd<p dir="ltr"><span style="color:#000000;"><i>King of Air</i>, the sophomore album by singer/songwriter & multi-instrumentalist, Ben Brown, officially launches on digital platforms (Spotify, Apple Music) June 2nd, 2023. Brown, whose previous work includes Austin-based indie rock bands, No Show Ponies and The Savage Poor, builds upon the buzz created by his solo debut, <i>Sayonara Sorrow</i> (2021), by once again partnering with Austin-based label and creative suite, Shire Recorders, and featuring Tim Cappello, “The Sexy Sax Man” of Tina Turner’s band and <i>The Lost Boys</i> fame. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:#000000;">Produced by drummer and Shire Recorders founder, Mick Flowers (The Rentals, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Elle King, Popsicko),<i> King of Air</i> is a dark, eclectic, rock & roll tour de force that Brown wrote and recorded after the passing of his brother and lifelong bandmate, Jeff Brown. While the album understandably explores dark themes, the writing, performances, and production are top notch, with each song featuring sing-along choruses, finely-crafted hooks, and the occasional saxophone shriek by Cappello. Additionally, while Brown’s personal reflections and hard-earned pathos are present, the songs resonate with the listener via universal themes, such as in the radio-ready rock anthem, “I Hate Problems.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:#000000;">“As a writer,” Brown says, “I strive to make the personal universal. In other words, one trick of songwriting is to write about your own life and reflections, but to use narrative techniques and language that allows the listener to believe the song is about them and their experiences.” This technique is on full display in songs like “Not Here for Comment,” “Can I Come Over (When I Get Over You)?,” and “The Great Beyond.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:#000000;">While the album explores dark thematic topics such as loss, increasing societal division, and the emptiness of consumerism, Brown identifies the album’s thematic core as contained in the song, “Don’t Be Afraid,” which Brown describes as, “As close to a prayer or spiritual invocation as I’ve ever come. As is the case with many artists, my brother and I often struggled with how to distill or articulate the purpose of our music. It was Jeff Brown who said he wanted his songs to encourage others “not to be afraid,” and to have the courage to make their own choices and follow their own paths.” I have used the refrain of “Don’t Be Afraid” as both a way to honor my brother and as a potential beacon to others who struggle to navigate the darkness and division of modern life.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="color:#000000;">“Ultimately,” Brown says, “we designed this album to make for a compelling listen. Music should make you feel first, and then think–if you’re willing and able! I appreciate a style of pop songwriting that is aesthetically catchy and exciting, but that makes the listener feel connected to a collective human experience, rather than pop as pure escapism. Great artists have shown us that, while the path through the dark woods might appear scary, it's walkable, because they have walked it themselves and lived to tell the tale.”</span></p>Ben Brown tag:benbrownsolo.com,2005:Post/72166402023-05-27T11:06:01-05:002023-05-27T11:06:01-05:00New Single, "Kill for a Living"<p>“Kill for a Living,” the new single by Ben Brown, is available now on all streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube). Featuring Tim Cappello, “The Sexy Sax Man,” of Tina Turner and <i>The Lost Boys</i> fame. </p><p>A protest pop song about corporate greed favoring profits over people, but with saxophone!</p><p>Song produced by Mick Flowers, engineered and mixed by Jared Wenkman, mastered by Nick Joswick. Released by Shire Recorders. Cover photo by Krist Duff Wallace, design and layout by Jim Ranes. </p>Ben Brown tag:benbrownsolo.com,2005:Post/72107552023-05-17T12:50:53-05:002023-05-17T12:50:53-05:00Pre-Save "I Hate Problems"<p>New single, “I Hate Problems,” available everywhere this Friday, May 19th!</p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://show.co/0bwklvz">https://show.co/0bwklvz</a></p>Ben Brown tag:benbrownsolo.com,2005:Post/71494982023-02-06T12:07:08-06:002023-02-06T12:07:08-06:00Saxon Pub - Feb. 8th @10pm<p>Excited to perform with the trio this Wednesday, Feb. 8th (10pm), featuring Alex Moralez on drums & Roger Wuthrich on bass, both formerly of The Savage Poor. We'll play 90 minutes of material from Sayonara Sorrow, plus favorites by The Savage Poor and a few covers. Entry is $10 at the door. </p>
<p> </p>Ben Brown tag:benbrownsolo.com,2005:Post/70315442022-08-05T12:48:57-05:002023-12-10T10:57:47-06:00Vinyl Release Gig - Charleston, SC<p>We're excited to announce a Southeast vinyl release gig for both <em>Sayonara Sorrow</em> and <em>The French King was Decapitated</em> at The Sparrow in Charleston, South Carolina! Shire Recorders is hosting the event, which will feature a performance by Ben Brown with a full band and special guests. </p>Ben Brown tag:benbrownsolo.com,2005:Post/66453092021-05-31T22:31:47-05:002023-12-10T11:00:23-06:00Album Review in The Hollywood Digest<p>Review by Garth Thomas in The Hollywood Digest:</p>
<p>Behind closed doors, or emerging from our own personal barriers, it isn’t any wonder that artists and musicians can capture the emotional thrill ride (or terror ride) of human existence. Pack on the pandemic of the last year and the human psyche has been through a juggernaut of ups and downs. Ben Brown’s Sayonara Sorrow is a brilliant sonic blend of jazz, Americana, pop and masterful songwriting. From the opening stunner “Get Lost” to the grand “The Love That Made The World” and to the eclectic “There’s Always Tomorrow”, Brown’s vulnerability and interesting observational prose makes its way closer and closer into the listener’s heart.</p>
<p>Sayonara Sorrow is produced by Mick Flowers and features Time Cappello (Tina Turner/ The Lost Boys). Brown, a veteran of No Show Ponies and The Savage Poor has also worked with Dave Bielanko and Christine Smith of Marah, Kevin Russell of Shinyribs, Ramsay Midwood and Shawn Sahm of Texas Tornados. Even if you don’t have a sense of Brown’s musical pallet going into Sayonara Sorrow, by the album’s end, you have a solid interpretation that he not only asks universal questions, his dreams and his inspirations feel grounded and real. </p>
<p>“Get Lost” has a hauntingly beautiful patina. A melodic guitar drives right through the center of the song, much like the constant percussion underneath. The only way you can be found, Brown sings. His voice reminds me a lot of Brandon Flowers (The Killers) but in other songs he brings audacity and mystery like Rufus Wainright. The swarming harmonies that bubble underneath his voice are powerful stuff. I loved the way this song starts out the journey and has wonderful movement.</p>
<p>“What Will Happen to All The Beauty” has a rubbery, synth tone. I closed my eyes and imagined this song as the soundtrack to a societal undoing. Brown transported me to a world where all the good, all the beauty in the world is trampled by hate and bigotry. The horn section is muffled, peaking out like flowers itching to get out of their planters. Then, about mid song, the horns come alive, almost as if they were awakened from their slumber or hibernation. A sleepy sax ends the song. I loved the dramatism and the way that Brown connects his listener to each of his words but creates a scenery all to its own with the musical bedrocks. </p>
<p>From there, “Outside” (Brown ends the album with “Outside” (Reprise), too), is also a very strong track. When he sings “something waiting for me” it’s like the listener is taking in his declaration. I pictured him writing those words from inside a disheveled room and he’s yearning to be a part of the world and moving past his demons. In “Long, Long Way From Home” he sings “I couldn’t love you in the way you wanted to be”, as a nocturnal-nighttime saxophone muses. He doesn’t overdo the sax.</p>
<p>In “I’m Afraid of the Dark”, the steady stream of acoustic guitar is once again backed by the soaring, savory harmonies. I felt like this song was almost hymnlike – like witnessing a moment around a campfire. It’s intimate. “When Fear Disappears” the vibe changes again, a quicker tempo. It’s almost rockabilly like. I loved Brown’s voice before, but when “When Fear Disappears” hits, my love exploded. All the songs on the album are exceptional, but if I had to pick one – this is it. Just follow your heart or you’ll surely come apart, Brown sings. In the rearview, that’s when fear disappears. That struck me more than anything – push forward and leave the past behind. </p>
<p>The last few tracks, “The Love That Made The World” (think Elton John’s “Sad Songs (That Say So Much”), “I Can’t Afford My Baby Anymore” (a reminder that even the ones we love can take away our emotional wages) and “There’s Always Tomorrow” cement Brown’s playful artistry and ability to connect with his listener. </p>
<p>Garth Thomas</p>Ben Brown tag:benbrownsolo.com,2005:Post/66453002021-05-31T22:27:54-05:002023-12-10T10:51:13-06:00Album Review in Austin American-Statesman<p>Album Review by Peter Blackstock in the <a contents="Austin American-Statesman" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.austin360.com/story/entertainment/music/2021/05/28/new-music-wayne-sutton-tee-double-asleep-wheel-more/7435144002/"><em>Austin American-Statesman</em></a>:</p>
<p>Ben Brown, “Sayonara Sorrow” (Shire). A member of indie bands No Show Ponies (formed in Pennsylvania before Brown moved to Austin) and local group the Savage Poor, Brown steps out with his first solo album on this 10-track set. As a singer, Brown sometimes feels like a voice out of time, with a richly dramatic tone that would have fit well among ’80s romantic new-wave acts. “Sayonara Sorrow” is eclectic, incorporating elements of styles ranging from Americana to doo-wop to synth pop, but the production touches of drummer Mick Flowers and engineer Jared Wenkman give the album a cohesive sound. Another key contributor is Shinyribs bassist Jeff Brown, Ben’s brother and Savage Poor bandmate.</p>Ben Brown tag:benbrownsolo.com,2005:Post/66398692021-05-25T15:43:52-05:002023-12-10T11:36:22-06:00New Video Featuring Tim Cappello<p>Watch the new video for "Long, Long Way From Home" featuring The Sax Man, Tim Cappello, of Tina Turner / Peter Gabriel / The Lost Boys / & Gunship. Video produced/filmed/edited by Bill Lanier of Lanier Studios and directed by Ben Brown. </p>
<p><a contents="Watch on YouTube" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s99TVieaf4Y">Watch on YouTube</a></p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="s99TVieaf4Y" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/s99TVieaf4Y/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s99TVieaf4Y?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Ben Brown tag:benbrownsolo.com,2005:Post/66398662021-05-25T15:39:31-05:002023-12-10T12:52:55-06:00"When Fear Disappears" Song of the Day on KUTX<p>"When Fear Disappears" is the 'Song of the Day' on Austin's KUTX!</p>
<p><a contents="Hear the exclusive track and read KUTX's album review at this link.&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://kutx.org/song-of-the-day/ben-brown-when-fear-disappears-premiere" target="_blank">Hear the exclusive track and read KUTX's album review at this link. </a></p>Ben Brown tag:benbrownsolo.com,2005:Post/66105042021-04-21T18:54:46-05:002023-12-10T13:03:31-06:00"Biker Jackets, Witch Hats, & The Sax Man"<p>Friday, 4/23, I'm releasing what's arguably my favorite track on Sayonara Sorrow, "Long, Long Way From Home." </p>
<p>Songs usually start with a "seed," or an idea that can be used to grow the rest of the track. With this song, I first envisioned a simple acoustic arrangement in the vein of Neil Young or Buffalo Springfield, but with a Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders vocal approach. With this feel in mind, I demoed the track as such and presented it to my producer, Mick Flowers, who picked up on the tune's potential. I remember Mick bringing up The Mission UK and talking about "biker jackets and witch hats," which got us all laughing; Mick was not kidding around. </p>
<p>When we did the scratch track, I played a lulling, two-chord progression over and over for about six minutes, with the intention to leave lots of space for instruments--still undeclared--to creep in and make magic. I had no idea at that time that I was setting the stage for Tim Cappello. </p>
<p>I met T at a gig on his "Blood on the Reed" tour in Austin in 2019. I have a whole story about that night, which I won't get into now, but I'll share that he put on one of the best solo club shows I've ever seen that night. People were losing it; I was losing it! </p>
<p>After the gig, Bianca Lugo took this photo of me with Tim Cappello: a hero of my youth, due both to The Lost Boys (I had the movie poster on my bedroom wall, and later in the No Show Ponies' longtime rehearsal space), and to his work with Tina Turner ("We Don't Need Another Hero" from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome was a thematic influence on Sayonara Sorrow). I had no idea when this photo was being taken that it would eventually be used as artwork for a future collaboration. </p>
<p>We don't need another hero while we've got Tim Cappello. </p>
<p>-BB</p>Ben Brown tag:benbrownsolo.com,2005:Post/66074822021-04-18T12:07:25-05:002023-12-10T10:46:20-06:00Under the Influence of "Beauty"<p>“What Will Happen to All That Beauty?” was inspired by novelist/activist James Baldwin’s 1963 essay, “The Fire Next Time,” which I read on an airplane from Austin to Madrid in 2017. I was introduced to Baldwin’s work in college, but rediscovered him in the building crescendo of the Black Lives Matter movement, which was then robustly maligned by the right as being anti-patriotic, anti-white, and anti-American. </p>
<p>At that time (and still), I was searching for credible and authentic voices who could successfully employ rhetoric and poetic language to cut through the topical intransigence of the moment. Baldwin--a black, homosexual poet/intellectual with an upbringing in the ministry--was singularly equipped to peel back, expose, discredit, and ameliorate the discourse of his day. </p>
<p>“The Fire Next Time” concludes with a repeated use of the line, “What will happen to all that beauty?,” which Baldwin employs in the final pages of the essay in order to postulate about--and issue warnings against--a violent race war in the event Amercians fail to reconcile our racial history and present. Baldwin claims it is the duty of “semi-conscious” whites and blacks to raise the consciousness and compassion of others in order to protect against continued race-related atrocities. </p>
<p>As I read Baldwin’s essay, his words invoked music in my head, which even the roaring jet engines of the airplane could not subdue. I “heard” the line “What will happen to all that beauty?” in call-and-response fashion, much like it appears in the ending of the song, being delivered in a deep bass voice like Leonard Cohen or Barry White. The verses of the song were all inspired (and appeared on the spot) by imagery in Baldwin’s essay, with only the song’s bridge to appear sometime later, like a puzzle waiting to be solved. </p>
<p>The accompanying music in my head sounded like a groovy synth-pop song; I heard it as synthesizer-based rather than built around the guitar. Even on the plane, I heard the synth melody line that appears in between each line of the verses. In retrospect, I believe U2’s collaboration with Leonard Cohen on “Tower of Song” from the music documentary I’m Your Man may have crept in; or perhaps, “First We Take Manhattan,” by Cohen was a sonic influence. </p>Ben Brown tag:benbrownsolo.com,2005:Post/65714502021-03-11T21:18:36-06:002022-05-29T21:51:03-05:00Finding "Get Lost"<p>Finding “Get Lost” </p>
<p>The inspiration for “Get Lost” came from several sources. In my experience, music and melody usually appear first. One afternoon I picked up my Guild acoustic guitar, which I used to write and record many of the songs on Sayonara Sorrow, and both the chord change and verse melody sprung from the void. </p>
<p>It happened so effortlessly that I was uncertain whether the tune already existed; the melody was simple and emotionally direct, which is not a hallmark of much of my previous writing. I knew intuitively there was something “there,” but the directness of the tune's mysterious arrival and laid-plain-sound was perplexing. </p>
<p>The title came from a conversation with my father, Don Brown, who shared a related quote with me sometime in early 2020. While discussing our shared love of travel, my father referenced a quote from a colleague of his, who had a plaque in her office that read, “Travel often. Don’t be afraid of getting lost, it’s how you find yourself.” </p>
<p>I felt the phrase “Get Lost” was interpretive and slightly irreverent, and would make for a good refrain. From there, I had an idea to base the verses around the usage of different homophones, which are words that sound the same but are different in spelling and meaning (morning / mourning). From there, the song basically wrote itself. </p>
<p>While I can’t verify with 100% accuracy, it’s my belief that “Get Lost” was the song that sold Mick Flowers, producer of Sayonara Sorrow, on working with me on this album. Mick stated early in the proceedings that he wanted me to sing simply, directly, and without great affectation, which again is not my normal approach. Mick’s vocal direction is perhaps most clearly realized on “Get Lost,” which has no vibrato or vocal theatrics in its straightforward delivery. </p>
<p>Mick also suggested that we dress the song in production that could best be described as “Americana,” which was a suggestion I resisted at first, having wanted the album to have more of a dark, nighttime vibe. In the end, Mick was right on both choices, as the song called for directness in approach and instrumentation. </p>
<p>My brother, Jeff Brown, played a dreamy, open-A-tuned guitar in the left speaker, which adds to the song’s lulling, fanciful sound. Jeff also plays bass on the track, which along with drums by Mick Flowers has a propulsive, easy swing reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac. </p>
<p>I played the song’s guitar solo on my black Greco “Rickenbacker,” which is a Japanese knockoff guitar given to me by a friend on a trip to Japan in 2013. Mick and I first tried the solo on a Fender Jaguar and on a Fender Telecaster, but Mick suggested my Grecco and asked me to “play it lazier and more behind the beat,” which we got in the first try with the Grecco after running it through Mick’s Blackstar amp at concert volume. </p>
<p>My favorite part of the track is the final harmony section by Barbara Nesbitt. Barbara’s name came into the mix after she slayed a track on Jeff’s EP, The French King was Decapitated. I had a similar part on the demo I recorded for Get Lost, but Mick and I thought the song could use a woman’s touch, and Barbara was the natural choice. My instruction to Barbara was for her to make it sound like “angelic female doo-wop,” which she quite simply nailed. </p>
<p>For the single’s artwork, I chose a photo from a trip to Spain in 2017, which was taken by my friend, Maggie Civantos, on a street near Madrid’s Latin quarter called Calle del Espiritu Santo. This trip was special, as it was my first solo trip out of the country, giving me ample opportunity to get free, get gone, and get lost.</p>Ben Brown